Click to read the article
Original Gangstas (1996)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:6
Rotten:7
Average Rating:5.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: Set in Gary, Indiana, this film stars many popular actors from the "blaxploitation" era in a tale of revenge and good vs. evil. The premise involves John Bookman, who escaped from the ghettos of... Set in Gary, Indiana, this film stars many popular actors from the "blaxploitation" era in a tale of revenge and good vs. evil. The premise involves John Bookman, who escaped from the ghettos of Gary years ago and is now a successful pro football coach in L.A. But when John's father is killed, the innocent victim of gang violence, John returns home to Indiana. After burying his dad, John rounds up his old cronies, and sets out to clean the streets of the punks who have ruined his old neighborhood -- a task much easier said than done. Can John and company defeat their younger, violence-prone adversaries? [More]
Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield
Starring: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield, Isabel Sanford, Ron O'Neal, Richard Roundtree, Christopher B. Duncan, Dru Down, Charles Napier
Director: Larry Cohen
Director: Larry Cohen
Reviews for Original Gangstas
Although the leads are intended to be cool and menacing, the result resembles parody; scenes of drugs, guns and fights are likely to make audiences burst out in laughter.
Original Gangstas leaves you feeling that more could have been made of this 'blaxploitation' reunion, but it's not bad -- and no more and no less substantial than the films of the original cycle.
The purpose is to entertain, and on that score the film delivers impressively.
Where Original Gangstas works is in its understanding that the stars are playing the characters they created 25 years ago as their older selves.
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 83% 83% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Original Gangstas at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

